On the road with Ed & Chris

Catching Up!

2011-07-31T05:21:00.000-07:00

Can't believe I haven't updated our blog since Mothers Day! Lots and lots of things have happened since then!
Here they are in chronological order - LOL!
Had the grandchildren over several time - lot's of visits to the zoo!
Saw some concerts
Roland and Cicely came for a visit
We went to San Francisco - down the coast to LA visited Steve and Elaine, then drove to Las Vegas
We renewed our vows under the welcome to Las Vegas sign
Mom came for a visit
The Ryan clan came for a visit
I went to St Louis on business
Whew!!!!!!! And there is still more to come!
I have to figure out how to update Flickr from Ed's laptop as mine has passed on to the great computer scrapeheap in the sky!

Spring Fling 2011

2011-05-08T07:11:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful way to start Mother's Day weekend - attending Benjamin's Spring Fling at the Rochester Montessori School! The program featured a visit from an eagle, songs and musical instrument performances...it's a wonderful school with talented students...none more talented than our little show-off Benjamin. This is the whole reason we moved here - to be able to attend these special events..

Florida 2011

2011-04-10T16:17:00.000-07:00

Unable to take anymore of this long, long, long winter, we were able to spend a week in Florida with 4 of our favorite people, Jessica, Benjamin, Lucy and Mom. We packed up and headed down to Clearwater for a little "sun on the beach". It started out rocky with our flight being 2 hours late taking off along with some terrible storms and tornadoes on our 1st day. But not even Ed getting stuck in the elevator could deter us from having some fun! Once the weather cleared and Ed was sprung by the fire department, it was sunny and in the 80's. Benjamin and Lucy charmed Mom and all the neighbors! We were also able to spend some quality time with Mark and Debbie, checking out their beautiful new condo on St Pete Beach.

It was sad to leave but are looking forward to spring here at Lake Minnetonka!

Wait 'til next year

2011-01-30T08:00:00.001-08:00

Another Bears season has come and gone - and what a season it was! No one ever expected them to be playing in the NFC championship game but there they were, lining up against our arch-rival Packers. While the game didn't go as we would have liked, it was still an outstanding and fun season! We still have our Bears flag proudly hanging! No bandwagoners or traitors here!

Grandpa and Grandpa had a few chances to whisper sweet Bear words in her little ear, even being so bold as to take her pic on a Bears blanket.

Now we settle into the depths of winter with thoughts of spring in our heads! The good news is Dairy Queen in town has reopened after being closed for the season!

Go Steelers~

Christmas 2010

2010-12-28T03:09:00.000-08:00

Santa was very good to us this year - our best gift was being able to spend Christmas with Mike, Jessica, Benjamin and Lucy! After a harrowing drive to Rochester, we spent the day opening gifts, munching on forbidden treats, hugging and squeezing a certain young lady and playing on the new Wii! It was so relaxing that we "forgot" to eat early as planned! The whole family was excited to open up the Wii and get going - what fun! I know they will enjoy that for years to come!
Poor Lucy had a nasty head cold - but even feeling crummy, she was a delight - all smiles, no crankiness, she pretty much sat there and watch us make fools of ourselves! Benjamin got to work learning magic tricks with his new magic set and even entertained us with a delightful magic show on Sunday...
After watching the Bears win, we packed our sleigh and sadly headed home - good news is that we have some babysitting scheduled soon!

Breakfast with Santa 2010

2010-12-05T14:26:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful weekend with the Schmitts - we packed in as much as we possibly could! Dinner at the Narrows, chopped down our Christmas tree, our annual breakfast with Santa at Macys and even a little shopping!

Lucy's Baptism Weekend

2010-11-01T08:19:00.001-07:00

Family came from far and near to help the Schmitt's celebrate the baptism of Lucy Jane on Sunday. Great Grandma Anne came in from Florida on Thursday and we had a whirlwind weekend! Thursday night we went to the Chanhassen Dinner Theater for dinner and a show, the play was "All Shook Up" a cute play that included a bunch of Elvis songs. On Friday Mom and I went to Mystic Lake for the gambling, her birthday mojo sure was working and we both came home with some money! Saturday, we joined the Schmitt's at a local park as Mike and Benjamin ran a Halloween 5K - yes, Benjamin ran a 5K! Then we were granted custody of Benjamin for the day, taking him to the Halloween party at the MN zoo.
Sunday we all gathered at the Schmitt's church for Lucy's baptism. She looked so sweet in Jessica's christening gown and took it like a trooper! The Murphy's and Coopers (including Erin, Kelsy and Makenna) along with the Schmitt family had a wonderful brunch at Jessica and Mikes.

Today, mom heads to Chicago for a few days and I go back to work for some R&R.

Lucy Jane Schmitt

2010-10-01T20:53:00.000-07:00

Introducing the newest member of our family! Lucy arrived in 10/01/10 at 11:00am, weighing 5 lbs 4 oz 19 1/4 inches long. She's tiny but mighty! Everyone is doing just great! And it looks like Benjamin is taking to being a big brother quite nicely...for now!

House of Bounce

2010-09-29T14:57:00.000-07:00

We had the privilege of spending some time with Benjamin on Saturday, lunch at Mickey D's and then a few hours at the House of Bounce in Rochester - it's a place with a bunch of those inflatable bouncing houses - Grandpa bounced until he was bounced out! It was a lot of fun, we really enjoy spending time with him, he's much wiser than his 5 years!

Anatomy of a Basement

2010-09-10T04:05:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, our basement was unfinished when we bought our beautiful home. Well, after over 2 years, we finally have walls and a ceiling! Here are some pics of the progress - we are hoping to be done before the holidays!

Introducing Makenna

2010-07-27T10:04:00.000-07:00

Not only did we get a new car - we now have a beautiful new great niece - Makenna Ryan - she weighed in at 9.7lbs - baby, Erin, Dennis, Kelsey and Austin all doing great!

Get your motor running....

2010-07-27T09:54:00.000-07:00

We are literally on the road again - after a scary and tragic (for the car, not us) event - we were lucky to have a found a beautiful replacement for the Porsche baby. A ocean blue Boxster with 45K miles in almost perfect condition! Only drawback is that it's a 5 speed and Chris doesn't know how to drive one - good news is that Ed is the designated driver until she learns! We spent the past weekend getting to know one another and we think it's going to be a good fit!

Da Coach

2010-06-06T08:49:00.000-07:00

We braved the crowds and a rainy Saturday and headed to Surdyks (a very well known wine shop in Minneapolis) to see Da Coach! Mike Ditka was there selling his wine and cigars - we were able to get him to sign the bottles of wine as well as our 1985 and 1986 Chicago Bears media guides - what a thrill and it was great to hang out with some true blue Bears fans!

Imagine how Grandma feels!

2010-05-24T09:44:00.001-07:00

Benjamin and I had quite the weekend together - this how he made the trip back home...drool and all!

2010-05-02T18:09:00.000-07:00

Thank heavens for little girls...

2010-05-02T15:30:00.000-07:00

It looks like the family will be evening up a bit - the newest Schmitt is a little girl! No name yet but all are doing well! Going to be a long summer waiting to meet her!

2010-04-24T15:25:00.000-07:00

While our money didn't make it back from Vegas, we still had a great time!

After getting Mary from the airport, we set out on our adventure! Our 1st stop was Yumi Suchi, they have the best all you can eat sushi in town...I don't think sushi is on Mary's usual menu, she was a trooper and had some rolls and plum wine. After that we ventured out in search of the elusive jackpot...and ran into some surprises...like Rich and Nancy! Mary found out they had a trip to Vegas scheduled for the same time and she arranged for them to surprise us and surprised we were! We were able to share a nice breakfast together at Margaritaville before parting ways. While downtown, we ran into one of our Survivor heroes, Rupert, he was hanging around with some friends and was gracious in taking a pic with us but unfortunately, was unable to discuss the current season since it is still airing. On Thursday, we took Mary to Battistas Hole in the Wall for a wonderful Italian dinner, she also was able to meet Gordie, the 98 yr old accordion player that must have played for the original Rat Pack, "I'm on fire tonight!" is his catch phrase! On Friday, we caught "Fab Four Live" a terrific show with a fantastic Beatles cover band!

We never did find that jackpot but had a great time!

Spring has sprung - again!

2010-04-09T09:52:00.000-07:00

After a long, cold, snowy winter the warm breezes of spring are here and we are ready for fishing! But first, Vegas Baby - Ed, Mary and I are headed to Vegas next week - yep, Lucy, Fred and Ethel are back together and taking their act on the road! I will update with details later, but remember, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!
Here is the official declaration of Ice Out on Lake Minnetonka for 2010!

Surprise - Surprise!

2010-02-09T16:49:00.000-08:00

The whole family gathered at Bob Chinn's on Saturday to help Mary celebrate her 60th birthday! There were some special guest stars for the weekend - Mom, Mark and Debbie flew in from Florida and Steve from LA! We tried to surprise her but she knew we'd be there, after all, there was free food and drink! How nice it was to have everyone together for a happy occasion...we were treated to a fabulous dinner and then we all regathered at the Cooper house for some cake and hanging out. Sunday some of us made a deposit at Hollywood Casino and then watched the Superbowl at Terry & Clarice's. Check out more pics on flicker!

2010-01-19T04:15:00.001-08:00

We took advantage of some warmer weather to take Benjamin out on the lake to try out his new ice skates - he did pretty good for the 1st time! Can't say the same for Jessica, she was a little nervous when we drove her out to the middle of the lake!

On Ice!

2010-01-19T03:13:00.000-08:00

Jingle all the way!

2010-01-03T10:54:00.000-08:00

It does seem like we went over the river and through the woods this year! After dodging a winter storm here in Minnesota, we flew to Chicago for Christmas, we visited a few favorite local venues in Chicago and then enjoyed a nice quiet evening at the Coopers sharing their Christmas Eve traditional dinner of Chinese takeout. Christmas morning, after picking up mom at the airport, we trekked to the Murphy's for the family holiday dinner. They totally outdid themselves with dinner serving turkey, beef tenderloin and all the trimmings. Unfortunately, a few of our favorite people were missing this year, the Bayolas stayed in Hawaii with Aunt Arlene joining them, but we did have the company of Kelly & Mike!

Then on New Years Eve, we drove to the Schmitts for our Christmas celebration. I was a little under the weather with a nasty cold, but was able to go along with Ed and Benjamin to see the "Princess and the Frog" while Mom and Dad went on a date. New Years Day we opened tons of gifts and then spent the rest of the day just goofing around, watching movies, eating, playing games, eating and just chilling. It was the most relaxed Christmas in a long time!

Now it's back to reality and winter - today it's going to be a high of -6!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-12T05:30:00.000-08:00

What lucky grandparents are we? We were able to spend an entire weekend with Benjamin doing all sorts of fun holiday activities! It started on Saturday morning, after Benjamin ran a 1 mile reindeer run, we took custody and didn't stop until Sunday afternoon!

Stop #1 - the St Paul Ice Fishing show - it was a blast, tons of fishing equipment, games for kids and even Santa Claus - we think Benjamin added this snowmobile to his list!

Stop 2 - Holidazzle Parade - good thing Grandma bought the "warm seats" - it was pretty cold outside but we were toasty inside the tent sipping hot chocolate enjoying the lighted floats and costumes! Benjamin was soooo excited about the parade he could barely contain himself!

Stop 3 - Breakfast with Santa - this has become a family tradition, having breakfast with Santa at the local Macy's. They have a small intimate breakfast with fun activities for the kids and of course, Santa. This year, he pulled up a chair and joined us at the table. Benjamin was thrilled and had a nice conversation with him and was able pass along his list!

Last Stop - cutting down a live Christmas tree - since moving to MN we have started a new tradition of cutting down a live tree for the basement. We went to the local tree farm and found a beauty this year! We brought it home and enjoyed the Bears game while decorating it.

It was a wonderful time filled with old traditions and some new ones! Next, we are off to Chicago for Christmas and then back to MN for Christmas with the Schmitts on New Years!

Happy Holidays to Everyone!

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-29T16:05:00.000-08:00

It was a whirlwind Thanksgiving weekend with the Schmitts this year! They came up Wednesday night, while Jessica & Mike went to see a concert, we watched the adorable "Santa Buddies" movie with Benjamin. On Thursday morning, Mike was supposed to run a Turkey trot but after getting home in the wee hours of the morning, wasn't quite up to it so the 5 of us spent some quality time together before the big meal - which, if I must say for myself, was fantastic! After gorging ourselves, we all went for a nice long walk around the neighborhood, checking out the cold lake water and early Christmas decorations! On Friday, we ran some errands, ate leftovers and then went to Excelsior for a "Lantern Parade" it was charming - Excelsior is a cute little town on Lake Minnetonka with small shops and restaurants. The parade started at the end of the town, went down Main St with Father Christmas leading the children in song, arriving at the town tree and overseeing the tree lighting. There is also a Christkindlsmarkt in town with some kiosks of food and crafts. On Saturday the Schmitts headed home to do some Christmas decorating, while Ed and I put the outside lights on.

Next weekend, we get Benjamin again - this time we are taking him to the Ice Fishing Show, The Holidazzle parade and then on Sunday, Breakfast with Santa and out to chop down the live tree for the basement.....whew...

Halloween 2009

2009-11-01T06:13:00.000-08:00

Despite the windy and cold weather, we still had a wonderful Halloween! The Schmitts came on Friday night and Benjamin showed off his adorable Robot costume - Mom's creativity really work on this one! Jessica and Mike had a 1/2 marathon on Saturday morning so we had custody of Benjamin - we took advantage of our new Zoo membership and went to the Minnesota Zoo HallZOOween event. His robot costume was a big hit, people loved it and commented that it was the best one there! The zoo really did a nice job with this, there were trick and treating sessions with candy and little trinkets, special musical shows, etc. We spend a terrific afternoon there! Then we took Benjamin over the Uncle Andy & Aunt Jennifer's to meet up with mom and dad, from there they went on to a Halloween party and we went home to set up for trick and treaters. We get so excited about having actual trick and treaters, in the townhouse, no one ever came by - we usually bought at least one bag of candy and ended up eating it ourselves, but here we get TONS of kids, this year we bought 8 bags of candy and ended up digging into Benjamin's Fruit Rollups!
Headed to Vegas next week! Woo-Hoo!

No pics, just a little update!

2009-10-18T09:12:00.000-07:00

I lied, there are new pics from our fishing excursion, some fall colors and a spectacular sunset!
And a shot of the back of the house from the lake!

After being smacked in the face with snow last weekend, we've been kinda busy etting ready for winter - but with Andrews style as usual - we were pulling out vegetable plants, etc when Ed decided to light a fire in the new chiminea for the new patio, next thing we know, we are sitting there enjoying Irish coffee and making smores! It was 32 degrees and only 2pm and not much got done the rest of the day!

On Thursday after work, we drove down to Rochester and took Benjamin for dinner at Whistle Binkies and to see "Cloudy with a chance of meatballs" - very cute movie and we all had a wonderful "date", times like that confirm that we made the right decision moving to Minnesota!

Twin Cities Marathon

2009-10-05T03:13:00.000-07:00

Lucky for us there was a small break in the rain for Sunday's Twin Cities Marathon. The day started early as we met up with Jessica & Benjamin and staked our place near the starting line - it was perfect for running! With Jessica's planning, we were able to encourage Mike 3 other times during the course of the race, meeting up with various other Schmitts along the way. After the race, we all met up at a local pub for some well deserved refreshments. No worries, Ed and I managed to avoid any Bear score and went home and watched the whole terrific win - without commercials!

Twice as nice!

2009-09-22T03:18:00.000-07:00

We took "On the road with Ed and Chris" literally the past few weekends! Ed and I drove to Chicago 2 weekends in a row and have vowed not to do that for quite a while!

Chicago Part 1

Our journey first took us to Chez Schmitt where we enjoyed some time with Benjamin and shared a take out Chinese dinner. Bright and early the next morning we drove into Chicago for the U2 concert but before that, we cruised over to Kelly's to help celebrate Aunt Arlenes 80th birthday! The concert was fantastic, everything was perfect, the seats, weather, Snow Patrol and of course, my boys,U2!

Chicago Part 2

Once again, we began our journey at Chez Schmitt - this time, we all went to Whistle Binkies to celebrate our anniversary and had a fantastic time! I had ordered an entree that usually comes covered with feta cheese and when I asked the waitress for "no cheese" Benjamin piped in "she's allergic" - cracked us up! Then grandpa showed him how to get the waitresses attention and he ordered another milk for himself! Once again, we started out bright and early for the drive to Chicago for our dear friends Theresa and Daves long awaited wedding! It was a beautiful warm fall day, perfect for a wedding. This time we were lucky enough to be staying with more dear friends, Carol and Jim. Their hospitality was above and beyond. The ceremony was held at St Peter and Paul in Naperville, an old fashioned beautiful church. Theresa was beautiful and glowing! Dave wore a tux similar to Bogie in Casablanca which was so appropriate since they are both movie buffs. The entire wedding had a movie theme! Even the centerpieces were glass bowls with a single candle and filled with raisinettes!Everyone had a terrific time and it was nice to see friends we haven't seen in a while. Saturday, we went to a car show in Berwyn with the Ewerts, Jim was gracious enough to drive us by the old homestead on Maple - how I loved that house!

We are planning on hanging around MN for most of the remainder of the year, Mike is running the Twin Cities Marathon in a few weeks and we are looking forward to taking advantage of the football package we pay for and watching the Bears!

Lot's of stuff going on...

2009-09-08T17:56:00.001-07:00

The last few weeks have been very busy - first we started a big household project, having a concrete patio put in on the lower level (out from the basement) where Ed fell and broke his leg. We hired a local contractor who took on the entire project, landscaping and concrete both. It's compng out better than we ever expected..see some pics of the progress (start at the bottom and work up - I'm too lazy to move them)

We also had some guests from IL this weekend, Mary and Val came up for a wedding and hung around with us for the weekend, we had a blast, took them to some of our fav restaurants and spend lots of time on the boat, fishing and sightseeing. They are welcome here anytime!

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A day at the zoo

2009-08-23T05:22:00.000-07:00

While Jessica and Mike were involved in some race activities this weekend, we had custody of Benjamin. We all went to the Minnesota Zoo - we had a great day! It was such fun that we joined the zoo so we can go back time and time again! Join us sometime!

Another busy summer weekend

2009-08-10T14:10:00.000-07:00

Whew - it was a busy one! Friday night, Ed & I went on the Fireman's Fund outing on the Betsey Northrup paddleboat down the Mississippi River - it was a nice time, Ed even won an IPOD! Saturday morning, bright and early, we joined Jessica, Benjamin, Jen, AJ and baby John to cheer on Mike and Joe during the Turtleman Triathlon - naturally, we hadn't gotten a drop of rain all summer so there was a torrential downpour causing the race to be canceled...Joe and Mike still finished (such troopers)! We took Benjamin for the rest of the weekend - since the weather was iffy, we hung around the house watching some movies and having pizza - good thing since a tornado blew thru Mound - no damage here but the power went out and it was kinda scary.

Sunday morning, we took Benjamin out on the boat for a little fishing and all three of us caught some nice bass - Benjamin was soooo cute, he saw his bobber go down and reeled in the fish all by himself, even after it jumped! After some R&R, we went for a little "sun on the beach" at a little local beach, Benjamin had fun trying to drain the lake and flood the beach!

Mommy and Daddy returned and after a wonderful dinner, they headed off into the sunset - whew..............

Kelly & Mikes Wedding

2009-07-10T15:13:00.000-07:00

What a whirlwind week - actually I think it was only 5 days! Jessica and I arrived in sunny Honolulu on Sunday afternoon, after checking into the wonderful Hilton Hawaiian Village and sharing a sushi lunch, we headed out to the beach, the water was warm and wonderful, we then met up with Roland and Cicely for some tropical drinks. On Monday, we explored the shopping and shared some drinks with the "Birds", Mom and Aunt Arlene. Monday night, we were exhausted and just hung around the hotel. If you have never been to the Hilton Hawaiian Village, it's a huge area consisting of about 5 hotel towers, shops, restaurants, pools, etc. You really never have to leave, it has it all! Tuesday, we, along with Roland & Cicely, rented a convertible and drove to the North Shore, where we enjoyed some fab shrimp, wonderful beaches, a little rain and of course, a few drinks (getting the theme?)...Wednesday was the day we were waiting for, after spending the morning with the "Birds", we got all gussied up and headed to the Moana Surfrider for the wedding of Kelly and Mike. The setting was beautiful, overlooking Waikiki Beach - the ceremony was touching with Kelly being very emotional - after the vows, we all were treated to a wonderful buffet dinner which included prime rib, sashimi, sushi, seafood and an assortment of tasty salads and side dishes, we then danced the night away, taking on a few uninvited guests that were enjoying the music from their balconies and the beach!

It was a wonderful adventure and I really enjoyed spending some quality time with Jessica and I hope she had a good time as well!

Little Drummer boy 001

2009-06-29T16:07:00.001-07:00

Little Drummer boy 001
Originally uploaded by beatlebugs2001

Benjamins 4th Birthday!

2009-06-28T06:08:00.000-07:00

We finally make good on our threat - we gave Benjamin a drum set for his birthday! More on that later - The special day started with a kids party at the "House of Bounce" in Rochester - this place is a chiropractor's dream! It's a huge space filled large inflated bouncing things. While Grandma and Grandpa safely watched from the sidelines, Benjamin and his friends (and his parents) enjoyed some time on the "rides" and then shared cupcakes in the party room. Then it was back to the Schmitts for a small family BBQ with some yummy greek chicken, cupcakes and more gifts! For years we have been teasing Jessica and Mike about getting Benjamin a drum set, but to be honest, he has such a passion for music, we felt it was time to expand his talents into the percussion family. We scoured the internet for a suitable drum set, one that was more than a toy and could take the punishment of a 4 yr old as well as grow along with him. We found a fabulous one at Vintage Drums - a beautiful blue set (to match his eyes). Check out the pics and video - he's a natural - watch out Brad!!! There are more videos on our Flickr link...

Fathers Day 2009

2009-06-21T12:12:00.000-07:00

Okay, it was my fault, I asked Ed how he wanted to spend Fathers Day and he said he wanted to get out on the lake at 4am! After he assured me that he wasn't kidding, we compromised on 5. Sure enough, we arrived at the boat slip at 5am on the dot! The weather was warm and muggy, but it was so peaceful being alone on the lake, the water was calm and like glass - we didn't catch a behemoth fish but we did catch a few smaller ones. We even enjoyed a Fathers Day "brunch" of bagels and coffee. It was lovely and we can't wait to get out there early again!

Yo-Yo-Yo!

2009-06-10T18:04:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was a busy one, first we (Gimpy - otherwise known as Ed story later, Jessica and I) drove down to Chicago to start the Barnhart wedding celebrations with a wonderful shower thrown by Big Red, Kelly received some fab goodies from some fab people! From there some of the girls made a deposit at Hollywood casino and then settled into the Murphy abode before starting the next leg of our journey. On Sunday, the Andrews and Bayolas packed their covered wagons and headed north. We arrived in Mound Sunday night, appears the Bayolas bring cold rainy weather everywhere they go....we had 3 weeks of sunny, 80 degree days, lo and behold, when we arrived it was 50 and raining.
Monday was spend at the Mall of America where Joe and Jordan enjoyed the amusement park, Lego store and American Girl! After a failed attempt to start a bon fire, we roasted hotdogs and smores on the old gas bbq - oh well, the best laid plans.
But our best time was spend Tuesday on the boat, the weather wasn't great but it was dry and less windy. There was some friendly fishing sibling competition - which Jordan won by catching 4 fish to Joes 3 but Joe was happy as Uncle Ed let him drive the boat! It was so relaxing, the lake was quiet and calm - even Jeanne grabbed a pole and gave it a shot!
We shared a farewell dinner at our fab, the Narrows and then sent the Bayolas into the dark night as Jeanne insisted on driving back to Chicago at night to avoid traffic and construction.
We have already started to count the days til their visit next year!

"Ma'am, did you know you were being attacked by a flamingo?"

2009-05-19T03:49:00.000-07:00

It was a fabulous weekend with Judy, Carol and Jim. We managed to stick to our itinerary of food, wine, gambling, wine, music, wine, games, wine, naps and more wine!

Mr and Mrs Dennis Ryan

2009-04-20T06:30:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful day in Milwaukee on Saturday as family and friends gathered to witness the wedding of Erin and Dennis. The ceremony was wonderful, the party spectacular! It was great to see old friends that we hadn't seen in over 20 yrs and to have the entire Murphy clan under together for a happy occasion! You will notice some more creative photos on flickr, those were taken by Benjamin, he's got quite a good eye!

Spring has sprung

2009-04-14T17:53:00.000-07:00

Update: April 13th 6:42pm - Hennepin County Sheriff declares it "ICE-OUT" - boat is coming out of storage tomorrow - watch out fishies!

Been a while...

2009-04-10T10:45:00.001-07:00

Not much has been going on - we are waiting for the rest of the lake to defrost and the waterpatrol to declare it "ice-out"! Then we can get the boat out of storage and start our fabulous 2nd Minnesota summer (yes, it's been almost a year)! But first, we do have some serious business to take care of - Erin and Dennis' wedding - yes, the whole fam-damily will be gathering in beautiful Milwaukee to celebrate the happy couple - they are coming from as far away as Florida and California! It will be nice to see everyone for a happy occasion...if you were smart, you'd stay away from Brookfield WI on April 18th!
Check out some new pics of Benjamin and then wander over to the Familie Schmitt blog for a hysterical video!

What a beautful bride she will make....

2009-03-16T06:32:00.001-07:00

The clan gathered this weekend to celebrate the upcoming wedding of Erin and Dennis with a shower at a centrally located Kenosha restaurant. Seeing that Erin and Dennis both have some Irish blood in them and it's close to St Pattys day, we decided to go with a Celtic theme. Jessica made beautiful celtic invitations with matching menus and irish wedding sayings for the flowers. Small celtic candle holders were the choice for favors. Everyone had a fab time and were extremely generous! After the shower, the girls (including some "older" ladies) went to a unusual restaurant in Milwaukee called the "SafeHouse" when we got there, we were asked to give the password to enter, naturally, we didn't know it so we had to get on one knee and sing "For she's a jolly good fella" to Erin, then spank her on the butt - voila - the door opened! After dinner, the bridal party went off for some unmentionable fun while the older folks went back to the hotel. You will need to check out Jessica' blog for details on that part of the evening!

Now the next step is for us all to find our dresses for the wedding!

When in Rome....

2009-02-10T15:28:00.000-08:00

We finally gave in to peer pressure and took the plunge - so to speak...we drove the car onto the lake - very eerie but it was a good thing we did it then since it's been over 40 for the past few days!

Ringbearer 0001

2009-01-19T09:08:00.001-08:00

Batman!

2008-12-31T05:03:00.001-08:00

Christmas 2008 001
Originally uploaded by beatlebugs2001

A Batman Christmas

2008-12-30T04:03:00.000-08:00

Batman and his parents joined us for a wonderful Christmas this year - yes, Benjamin was disguised as Batman for the holiday (Santa gift). After a fabulous meal that included Jessica's homemade pierogi, which would have made Grandma Andrews proud, we settled down to open the overwhelming pile of gifts! Everyone was extremely generous - Benjamin was thrilled with all of it! I'm not sure which was his best gift, the Batman mask and cape or the camera! He was actually overheard telling the camera that he "loved it" - yes, he's an unusual little boy. Next we will be celebrating New Year Eve with Benjamin - probably on London time! Happy New Year to all - health and happiness in 2009!

It takes a village....to catch a fish!

2008-12-21T12:46:00.001-08:00

Each weekend, small villages pop up on Lake Minnetonka - this one was noteworthy, notice the satellite dish - wouldn't want to miss the Vikings game!

Busy Weekend

2008-12-08T18:03:00.000-08:00

We had what we like to call a "Schmitt Weekend" - not only were we able to spend some quality time with the Schmitts, we were as busy as all get out! We took Benjamin to Hidden Pond tree farm to cut down our own Christmas tree. It's a little lopsided but has tons of character!

On Sunday we went to Macy's to have breakfast with the "BIG GUY" - Benjamin was totally aglow with excitement at seeing Santa! He told him he had been good and gave him his list. After that we decorated our new tree and watched the Bears win...

But before that, we were fortunate enough to be able to spend Thanksgiving with Mom down in Florida (she is doing fabulous and we couldn't be more pleased and blessed). We had a wonderful dinner with Mark, Debbie, and several special guest stars.

We are looking forward to spending the holidays in our new home and getting used to the Minnesota winters!

Reason to be Thankful.....

2008-11-27T08:06:00.000-08:00

The Big 3-0!

2008-11-09T11:57:00.000-08:00

Everyone had a groovey time at Jessica's 30th birthday celebration - we are convinced she knew about it all along but was a good sport and pretended to be surprised! Guess that degree in performing arts really paid off! Family and friends came from far and wide to help her celebrate...

Now if someone can tell us where the 30 yrs went?

2008-10-28T15:54:00.000-07:00

We hate to continually talk about the weather but besides fishing, it's the big deal up here. We had a touch of winter weather on Sunday - temps around 35, blustery and some white stuff blowing around! We spent the day snuggled up reading the newspaper, watching football, an old movie and making some comfort food, beef stew - yum! The way the waves were up, maybe we should have invested in surfboards and not a boat!! Check out the get up Ed wore to walk across the road to get the newspaper - what a Berwynite!

The calendar says it's October but...

2008-10-12T09:21:00.001-07:00

it's been in the upper 70's all weekend! We spent some time enjoying the warmer weather - did some fishing off the pier at the end of the road - caught some smaller ones. The Schmitts have been busy, Mikes brother Dan wed his Katie last weekend, Benjamin - always the life of the party - crashed into a table at the church and dented his cheek! This great weather can't last forever - it will be back to reality next week!

Summer Fun

2008-09-24T15:39:00.000-07:00

Lot's has happened since the our last entry. We spent a lot of time on the boat fishing and having fun, we welcomed the Schmitt family for a BBQ, our good friends Carol & Judy joined us for Labor Day weekend, adorable Kelsey turned one, Chris added another candle to the birthday cake and the fall colors have started! Soon it will be winter and we will be hibernating in our beautiful home!

Even bigger!

2008-08-30T04:31:00.000-07:00

This is turning out to be some sort of a competition - hard to believe a Murphy would be competitive! The Schmitts hung out last Monday and joined us for some fishing after work - look what I found! Who's going to be next??

The Bassmaster!

2008-08-17T07:40:00.000-07:00

The Brookfield Murphy's graced us with their presence this weekend - we spent all day Saturday on Lake Minnetonka cruising and fishing on our "new" boat - Terry was the big winner pulling in 3 nice size bass! The rest of us had to settle with smaller pan fish and having to listen to his boasting! We had a blast! Look forward to their return this fall for muskie season -

Das Boot

2008-08-13T19:10:00.001-07:00

We have added a new member to the Andrews crew - we picked up a very used Bayliner boat to cruise Lake Minnetonka = we took her for her maiden voyage this evening to enjoy the beautiful sunset!

Fishpalooza

2008-08-03T15:53:00.000-07:00

We had the pleasure of spending some time on Lake Minnetonka with our good friend/guide/realtor/Renaissance man Mike Buenting this morning - boy were the fish biting!

2008-08-01T03:53:00.000-07:00

grandparents sox fans -
parents twins fans -
Benjamin one confused kid!

Visitors!

2008-07-22T18:47:00.001-07:00

We finally had our first visitors from Chicago (and beyond)! Mom, Aunt Arlene, Mary & Roland came for the weekend. They spent the night in Rochester at Chez Schmitt before driving up to Mound. The Schmitt’s were soon to follow. We hung around the house on Saturday, ate BBQ’d ribs, played games, sort of watched fireworks and just enjoyed each other’s company. It was so nice to be able to show off the new house and share our wonderful new lake lifestyle!
Sunday, the Schmitt’s had to leave us to be the godparents for their new nephew. But we had a great time, we rented a pontoon and enjoyed a sunny day on the lake sightseeing and fishing. Nothing huge was caught but a good time was had by all!
We are pleasantly exhausted but would do it again in a heartbeat!

Ed was also able to finally share all his guitars with Benjamin - it's a shame the kid is so shy!

Happy Birthday!

2008-07-01T15:12:00.000-07:00

So much has happened since our last entry - but I guess the most fun was Benjamin's
3rd birthday! This years theme was Barnum & Bailey's Circus! The house was decorated with balloons and clowns. Jessica created a fabulous cake, made with a special eggless recipe (for Benjamin's allergies) with wonderful circus decorations. The kids enjoyed playing games almost as much as the adults enjoyed watching them!

We've had some wonderful adventures in our new home. We've been enjoying the lake lifestyle, after dinner we often wander down to the lake for a little fishing and relaxing while watching the sunset. We also drove down to Rochester (in the middle of the week!) to watch Benjamin participate in the "All Comers Track Meet" - he won a 2nd place ribbon! It was great to be able to share the moment!

Ed started his new job and after 2 days, seems to be content. If you have ever doubted the phrase "Minnesota Nice" - just ask us, we have been fortunate to meet many, many wonderful Minnesotans that have made us feel welcome!

IT'S OFFICIAL!

2008-06-13T11:51:00.000-07:00

It's official - we are now residents of Minnesota! We moved into our new home on Tuesday, Ed accepted a job offer on Thursday and we will be celebrating all weekend! The closings and move went smoothly, the movers wrapped and packed all day on Saturday while we stayed out of their way at Grand Victoria Casino (we kept teasing that this moving stuff was killing us!) On Sunday, they loaded our stuff and off we went to MN- arriving on Sunday night at Chez Schmitt. Tuesday we took possession of our beautiful Lake Minnetonka home - and have loved ever minute of it so far!

I started at the Minneapolis office on Wednesday - warmly greeted by my new coworkers. Ed will be starting his new job on June 30th. In the meantime, we are looking forward to our 1st overnight guests, the Schmitts. While Jessica and Mike run a race on Saturday, we will goof off in Mound with Benjamin. Sunday, we have rented a pontoon and look forward to some fishing.

Our door is always open, all we ask is that you bring your fishing poles and a box of Chateau Dumplings!

Love,
Ed and Chris

Green Bay Half Marathon

2008-05-19T17:25:00.000-07:00

We were privileged to join the Schmitts in Green Bay this weekend (yes, Green Bay) as Jessica ran the Half Marathon! On Saturday, we spent some quality time with Benjamin, doing the grandparents thing - we took him swimming at the hotel pool and even though his lips were a lovely shade of blue, he really enjoyed the water but did comment that it was too watery!

Sunday, Jessica, her brother in law Dan, his fiance Katie and Jennifer, Andy's fiance ran the half marathon! They all accomplished personal goals and we were proud of each and every one of them! The only dark spot was that the race finished in Lambeau Field - not to worry, Ed wore his Bears jersey to show his colors!

Maybe next year it will be the full 26.2 miles!

Been Awhile....

2008-04-27T06:47:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since we added something to the blog - nothing exciting to report (at this time) but we have been as busy as one-armed jugglers in the circus! But stay tuned, there will be some BIG news shortly!

Our Bonding Weekend

2008-03-11T05:52:00.000-07:00

While Jessica and Mike were in Hawaii, we had a wonderful opportunity to spend some quality time with Benjamin. I flew up to Minneapolis on Tuesday and was met by Grandma Cindy and Benjamin. Then the 2 of us drove down to Rochester to begin our adventure! We spent most of the time watching movies, especially Beauty and the Beast (2 times) and the Wizard of Oz. In between, we put together tons of puzzles and played several hands of "Go Fish" - Benjamin is a professional at both! Later, Grandpa was able to join us. We took Benjamin to the Lark Toy Store where he was able to ride the carousel and tried on every hat in the place! On Saturday. we went to the Mall of America where Grandpa and Benjamin tried their hand at some carnival games, even winning a stuffed Spongebob Squarepants! It was then off to the airport to pickup Mommy & Daddy, it was very touching to see Benjamin run to Mike and Jessica, literally jumping into Jessica's arms - wasn't a dry eye in the house! We really enjoyed our time together, Benjamin is one smart, charming little boy - Mommy and Daddy should be very proud!

Fun in the Sun

2008-02-24T06:27:00.000-08:00

Having enough of the snow and cold, we packed our bags and boarded Royal Caribbeans "Jewel of the Seas" for 6 days of sun, food and relaxation! After spending the night in Fort Lauderdale (and losing our shirts at the infamous Hard Rock Casino) we sailed off to our first stop, Key West. We rented one of those electric cars and tooled all over the island, taking in the watering holes, shopping and Hemingway's house.

Back on ship, we met our wonderful tablemates, Joann and Pat, cousins from New Jersey celebrating their 50th birthdays - I was in heaven, 2 smart, witty, Irish ladies the same age as me! The conversation covered it all, funny to downright raunchy!

The next stop was Cozumel, we spent the day chilling at the beach and doing some shopping - just what we needed - to do next to nothing. That night was our 1st formal night, it's always fun to dress up and Ed looked wonderful in his tux -

Belize was a trip, all 4 of us (Joann and Pat included) braved the rain forest and went tubing down a river to some Mayan ruins. What a way to travel - just laying there like slugs. When the tubing was over, lunch was provided, since we were ravenous, we sucked down the food not knowing what we were eating, could have been the local favorite of Iguana for all we knew!

Meanwhile, back on the ship, we decided to recoup some of our losses in the casino, low and behold I hit the red, white and blue 7's on the Wheel of Fortune for a payout of $1600, this being international waters, no taxes were taken out! This almost covered our bar bill at the end if the cruise - ALMOST! A few smalled wins soon followed -

Our last port was Playa Del Carmen Mexico - we spent another relaxing day on a beautiful beach enjoying some pina coladas and trying not to think about going home.

It was a fabulous trip, capped by another day in Ft Lauderdale. But all good things must come to an end and we returned to cold Chicago looking forward to our next adventure!

Ed, Tom and Buddy Guy

2008-01-14T17:33:00.000-08:00

Santa was in a "blue" mood this year and during a silent auction, won a "date" with a local radio station DJ, Tom Marker from WXRT - Tom is the host of the 'XRT show, Blues Breakers. Ed met Tom at Buddy Guys Legends, shared drinks and dinner, then Ed was taken to Buddys dressing room for a private meeting, can you imagine the conversation? Buddy regaled Ed with stories of Eric Clapton, Muddy Waters, Jeff Beck, etc. Ed was in Blues Heaven!

Rock Star

2008-01-02T17:05:00.001-08:00

A Very Merry Christmas

2007-12-31T15:53:00.001-08:00

We were lucky this year to share 3 wonderful Christmases! The first was just us exchanging gifts and preparing a delicious Christmas Frittata. Then we were off to the Terry Murphys to share Christmas with the Murphys, Mom, the Coopers, the Williamses, and the Bayolas from Hawaii. Even sweet little Kelsey and her mom and dad were able to join us. After a wonderful meal, we all gathered around to exchange gifts, the most for Kelsey and Benjamin!
On Saturday, we packed Santas sled and headed off to Minnesota for a Schmitt Christmas. All we can say is thank goodness we have a SUV or we would have been in big trouble! It was packed to the gills but thanks to the "Master Packer" (Ed) we got all the goodies in with a little room for our luggage. Sunday morning was our Christmas morning with the Schmitts. I think it was successful, the biggest hits were the kitchen set and guitar with microphone for Benjamin. See the video, I think there might be a career in music for this little man! Santa brought a sled for Benjamin and we all took turns going down the hill, reminded me of all the times Mark and I went to Swan Pond with Dad.
We'd like to wish everyone a very happy, healthy and successful 2008! Look for details of our exciting new adventure for 2008. Love Chris and Ed

Happy Holidays

2007-12-18T08:51:00.001-08:00

Just in case you forgot what this time of the year is all about - look at the happy smiling faces of these two characters -

Warm holiday wishes from Ed & Chris!

Acoustics

2007-11-27T05:08:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving

2007-11-26T17:03:00.000-08:00

Whew! What a jam packed weekend! From yoga class to wine tasting and everything in between! Once again, our fav Minnesotians drove down to spend the holiday with us. While Ahmpa watched Benjamin, Mike & Jessica joined in on my yoga class, probably to limber up for all the eating on Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving day dawned cold and snowy but that didn't stop Jessica and Mike from participating in an 8K race at Lincoln Park Zoo - brave souls! Dinner was shared with some Coopers, Mary, Roland and Brad as well as Aunt Arlene.

Saturday, Benjamin spent some quality time with the "Big Guy" at breakfast with Santa. He was a little shy and apprehensive at first, but quickly warmed up and soon they were the best of buddies!

We all had to go back to work on Monday just to rest!

Check out the video of Benjamin testing out the acoustics!!

Frontier

2007-11-15T18:50:00.001-08:00

Viva Las Vegas

2007-11-14T18:16:00.000-08:00

We were in Vegas over the weekend and little did we know that they had planned a Big Bang for us! Unknown to us, they were going to implode The New Frontier to make way for a new resort complex. Being that it was Vegas, they planned this for 2:30am - we had originally planned to head out to see it but found that we had front row seats from our Treasure Island hotel room. We cut the evening short to catch the event! Here is the video taken from our window - it was cool and a little scary at the same time = sorry it's a little grainy.

Mom's80th Birthday

2007-10-29T06:54:00.000-07:00

The entire (almost) family gathered on Saturday to celebrate Mom's 80th birthday - all 5 of her kids and their spouses were able to attend - they came from far and wide. A fabulous dinner was held in Mom's honor attended by 30 closest family members. After the dinner, a majority of the guests met up at Hollywood Casino - and guess who was the big winner - the birthday girl! But not to worry, the rest of the gang didn't do too badly either! The wonderful family weekend ended with breakfast on Sunday. Kelsey and Benjamin even showed off their Halloween costumes! Those are some cute kids!

The Ampa Song

2007-10-21T10:17:00.000-07:00

Venice, Prague & Paris

2007-10-13T06:39:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone - I have uploaded the rest of our pictures! Enjoy!

The Orient Express

2007-10-04T15:51:00.000-07:00

If you ever want to experience true luxury anddecadence, take a trip on the Orient Express. From the moment you check in, you are transported back into a more elegant time. The uniformed representatives check you in, take your luggage and then escort you to a local hotel for a traditional Venetian drink called a Bellini (pear juice, ice and Italian sparkling wine)while your luggage is placed in your compartment. Onboard, you will appreciate the fully restored 1920's original Orient Express Pullman cars. Beautiful wood,with handmade inlays, polished brass and the clever compartment setup. The actual compartment is about 5 x5. It contains (for daytime) a settee, table and washbasin - the basin is enclosed in a separate closet.For night, the settee separates into 2 bunk-like beds,very comfortable. Every detail is attended to by your own cabin Steward.

After boarding, we dressed for dinner. Yes, it's formal all right! Tuxedos and cocktail dresses - and all looked elegant. We shared a table with a couple from England, she a podiatrist and he was a"househusband". Dinner consisted of 5 courses, each more delicious than the other. After dinner, we visited the fully restored Barcar for a cocktail and to enjoy the piano player. It was an interesting night - with the beds set up, there isn't much room for movement. In the morning, we had breakfast in our compartment and watched the scenery. Unfortunately, it was raining too hard to get out when we pulled into the Vienna train station. Lunch was served in one of the 3 dining cars. Once again, each restored to it's original glory.

After 2 glorious nights in Prague (details later) - we reboarded the train to Paris. Once again, as we passed through small towns, it seemed like people were waiting for us. But this time, when they took pictures of us, we started to take their picture!

This was truly an experience of a lifetime, we both loved being transported back to a more elegant time. A time when travel was considered a special treat and people dressed and acted accordingly.

Introducing....Kelsey Marie

2007-09-15T19:20:00.000-07:00

We joyfully welcomed a new member to our family on Friday 9/14 - the baby with no name...actually she does and it will be revealed once mom and dad give the okay! But Great Uncle Ed and I went to Milwaukee to check her out and give the Murphy family stamp of approval! Our new little angel is adorable! Mom & Dad and Grandma & Grandpa Cooper are thrilled and look forward to bringing her home on Sunday.

More to follow -

A weekend to remember!

2007-09-11T16:20:00.000-07:00

It all started when our favorite Minnesotians came to help me celebrate "the big one"! On Saturday we spent the day at Brookfield Zoo - can't say who had more fun, Benjamin loving the animals or us watching him! Saturday night we went to the Schnitzel Platz for Octoberfest, food was great and Jessica even won a beer drinking contest, she had to drink from a baby bottle! We were so proud -

Sunday was the best, 20 pajama clad family and friends surprised me (or should I say shocked me) at 9am for a champagne breakfast! Can't believe they were able to pull it off. And I can't believe I didn't hear them coming into the house! Everyone did a wonderful job and it was the best!

But it didn't end there, on Monday courtesy of my former siblings, the Grim Reaper paid me a visit at work! Yep, right there in front of the entire office!

It was a wonderful fun weekend and I will never forget it! But then again, I'm glad it's over and we can get back to our boring life. Oh, did I mention that we leave in less than 2 weeks for our Orient Express trip? Can't wait!

Ragtime

2007-08-15T06:07:00.001-07:00

Ragtime!

2007-08-13T17:59:00.000-07:00

We spent the weekend in Minnesota with the Schmitts - found that Benjamin has a hidden talent - singing showtunes! Jessica popped the "Ragtime" cd in while we were driving back from St Paul - could be a careeer!

Erins Wisconsin Shower

2007-08-07T17:18:00.001-07:00

Mary and I joined the Ryan family at Erins shower in Milwaukee this past weekend. Dennis' family was warm and welcoming and it was evident that they are crazy about Erin and looking forward to the baby's arrival! It's down to the wire - only a few more weeks! As you can see, Erin is glowing - this seems to really agree with her! Hopefully our next entry will be all about our new family member!

Fly me to the moon....

2007-07-22T08:22:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Ed, I was able to fulfill a longtime dream of flying an airplane! Ed gave me a gift certificate for an "intro flight" lesson. I spent some time on the simulator, then was taken up in a 4 person Cesna and actually took control of the plane! It was incredible!! We flew almost to Rockford - it was thrilling and terrifying at the same time! The instructor even let Ed join us for the flight. Fortunately for all of us, the instructor landed the plane since I ended up in the grass on the simulator! How nice it would be to fly to Rochester to visit the Schmitts - sure would beat the 5 1/2 hour drive -

Christmas in July

2007-07-17T17:42:00.000-07:00

G-Ahma (great grandma) brought a special treat for Benjamin this weekend, an animated penguin that sings and dances. Check out the fancy moves!

Erin's Baby Shower

2007-07-15T18:11:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful time at Erin's baby shower on Saturday - lot's of family and friends gathered to celebrate the upcoming birth of Erin and Dennis' new baby girl! They were overwhelmed with the generosity of everyone! They came from near and far, Erin's brother Roland and his lovely wife Cicely were visiting from London, soon to be (again) great grandma Murphy flew in from Florida, the Schmitts of Minnesota were present, as well as the Bayola's from Hawaii!

yeah, yeah, yeah

2007-07-08T08:18:00.001-07:00

Benjamins 2nd Birthday

2007-07-04T07:12:00.000-07:00

Coming soon! More photos and videos of Benjamins 2nd birthday party!

Welcome

2007-07-04T06:39:00.000-07:00

Ed and Chris have decided to join the rest of the world with our very own blog! We thought this would be an easier way to share our family and travel adventures! Come back again soon!